1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to performing operations at the surfaces of objects and, in particular, to performing these operations using a customized tool path for each of the objects. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for customizing the tool paths used for these objects to account for variations in the overall shapes of these objects.
2. Background
A tool path is the path that a tool may traverse to perform an operation on an object. For example, a tool path may be the path that a cutting tool follows to remove material from an object. A tool path may be comprised of a series of points. Each point may correspond to a position within a reference coordinate system and, in some cases, may also correspond to an orientation. Oftentimes, tool paths are generated by computer programs based on various factors. These factors may include, for example, without limitation, the initial shape of the object being processed, the tool that has been selected for use, a speed at which the operation is to be performed, a desired fineness of cut, and/or other types of factors.
In certain situations, the same operation may need to be performed on a large number of parts of the same type. For example, in some cases, the same machining operation may need to be performed on each part in a group of parts that includes hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of parts of the same type.
In order to achieve a desired level of accuracy while performing the operation on each of the parts, the tool path used to perform the operation may need to be tailored to the shape of each part. For example, during the manufacturing, transportation, storage, and/or usage of these parts, one or more portions of each of the parts may have been deformed over time such that the overall shape of each of the parts varies. These variations may need to be taken into account when performing an operation on these parts.
With some currently available techniques, a tool path may be generated for each part based on a three-dimensional model or digital scan of the part. However, generating a three-dimensional model and/or digital scan for each of these parts may require more time, effort, and/or processing power than desired. In addition to being time-consuming, this process may also be more expensive than desired.
As a result, other currently available techniques may rely on human operators using hand tools to manually perform the operations on the parts. For example, a human operator may perform a sanding operation in stages to ensure that material up to a specified depth has been removed from the surface of a part with a desired level of accuracy. However, this process may be much more time-consuming and labor-intensive than desired and may require a greater number of human operators than desired. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that takes into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.